Advanced Journal of Microbiology Research

Abstract: When something appears to be public health issues, there is a razor-thin line between appropriate caution and over compensatory alarm. Such is the case with avian influenza, more commonly known as avain flu (H5N1). Since the potential threat of global pandemic of avain flu (H5N1) is growing and the developing countries’ economy is affected to a small extent, now it is the high time to formulate effective and essential measures which include heightened influenza surveillance, early detection and appropriate pandemic…

Abstract: L-asparaginase is an anti-neoplastic agent used in lymphoblastic leukaemia chemotherapy. Soil microbial isolates were screened for potential producers of L-asparaginase using a phenol red indicator growth medium and the microbe producing the largest hydrolysis zone was selected. The isolate was characterised by biochemical tests and was found to belong to Bacillus sp. The enzyme production was carried out by submerged fermentation. Two different carbon sources, glucose and maltose were used for the enzyme productio…

Abstract: Distribution of infectious hematopoietic necrosis (IHN) was studied in rainbow trout fish farms in Chaharmahal and Bakhtyari Province which is a major trout culture region in Iran. Overall 150 suspected rainbow trout fry with less than 3 g body weight from 30 fish farms in Chaharmahal and Bakhtyari Province, Iran, were studied and fishes of 10 hatcheries (33.3% of all studied farms) found to be infected with IHNV. Reverse transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) was applied to the detection of infectious he…

Abstract: The disc diffusion method, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) and gradient-plate techniques were implemented to evaluate the antibacterial activity of honey and propolis against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The growth of S. aureus was inhibited by application of propolis and honey at concentrations of 2.74 to 5.48 mg ml-1 and 375. 0 at mg ml-1, respectively at both MIC and MBC. The greater inhibition zones (13.0 ± 0.09 to 15.0 ± 0.11 mm) were observed fro…

Abstract: We investigated the prevalence of methicillin-resistant staphylococci (MRS) in humans and dogs and evaluated the antimicrobial resistance patterns of these bacteria at a Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Specimens from 50 human subjects and 50 dogs were studied. Isolates were identified by Gram-staining, biochemical reactivity and resistance to antimicrobials. While no isolates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus intermedius (MRSI) were isolated, two (4%) methic…

Abstract: Helicobacter pylori infect nearly half of the world’s population and are associated with a spectrum of gastric maladies. The cytotoxin-associated gene pathogenicity island (cag PAI) encoding a type IV secretion system (T4SS) has been implicated in a series of host responses during infection. The cag PAI contains about 28 - 30 open-reading frames, for most of which the exact function is not well characterized or totally unknown and a delivered effector, CagA that becomes tyrosine phosphorylated upon delivery into ho…

Abstract: This is the first report of Legionella pneumophila serotypes in Namibia. Using modified buffered charcoal extract agar selective medium, L. pneumophila was isolated from Goreangab Dam water and University of Namibia (UNAM) student hostel shower heads. Latex agglutination tests showed that L. pneumophila serotypes 1 - 15 were present in Goreangab Dam water and serotypes 2 - 15 were present in blocks A and B of the UNAM old hostel shower heads. Further studies are needed to help understand L. pneumophila ecology and…

Abstract: Blight caused by Mycosphaerella pinodes is one of the most devastating diseases of pea that causes yield losses of over 50% in some years and may cause total failure to the crop under epidemic conditions. During this study, a sensitive disease assessment and statistical tool was developed for Mycosphaerella blight on peas, the latent period was used to discriminate between different treatments. The time until appearance of the first pycnidia (latent period length) was recorded. Seedling that did not display any pro…

Abstract: Tuberculosis (TB) still remains a global public health problem of enormous dimension. This study was carried out between March 2007 and June 2008 to determine the prevalence of TB and TB/HIV co-infections amongst patients with bronchopulmonary disorders in Lagos State, Nigeria. 1280 patients were screened for acid-fast bacilli (AFB) by microscopy and culture at the TB reference laboratory of the Nigerian institute of medical research Lagos. Information on HIV status of each patient was obtained from medical records…

Abstract: This study was designed to evaluate the effect of fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) on blood RBC (red blood cell) count and digestive enzyme activities of oxyeleotris lineolatus. 60 oxyeleotris lineolatus were randomly divided into three groups with 20 fish in each group: control, low and high dose of FOS-treated groups. Animals in the control group consumed basic feed, animals in FOS-treated groups consumed the feed containing 1.5 and 3% FOS, respectively. After 20 days of FOS administration, growth rate, blood RBC co…

Abstract: Lycium barbarum L. is an oriental medicinal plant. The arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) and dark septate endophytic (DSE) fungal associations of this plant species are completely unknown. In this study, the AM and DSE fungal colonization status in three L. barbarum cultivars in arid Northwestern China were investigated. The results showed that the three cultivars were simultaneously colonized by Paris-type AM and DSE fungal associations. The highest colonization by AM was found in L. barbarum Ningqi No.1. The significan…

Abstract: Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used for the structural characterization of vegetable oils (olive, cotton, corn and sunflower oils) following the induced changes in their structure brought about by microwave heating. The vegetable oils samples were microwave heated at 2 powers (450 and 630 W) for different times ranging from 2 - 28 min. The investigation of the FTIR spectra of the treated oils revealed that the microwave heating of oils for different periods of time at 450 and 630 W caused signif…

Abstract: This study assessed the germination and vigour of seeds of four arable crops (Arachis hypogea, Digitaria exilis, Vigna unguiculata and Zea mays) treated with Albit® bioregulator and also with superhormai® fungicide. Completely randomized laboratory trials showed that presoaking of seeds of A. hypogea, D. exilis V. unguiculata and Z. mays with 0.2 ml Albit® L-1 H2O produced significantly higher germination percentage, radicle and plumule lengths (P 0.05) than those of the control. Randomized pot and field trials sho…

Abstract: A sero-epidemiological study of brucellosis in small ruminants was carried out in Plateau state to determine the status of the disease. A total of 1347 serum samples from 851 goats and 496 sheep systematically collected from nine randomly selected Local Government Areas (LGA) of the state were tested for brucella antibodies using Rose Bengal plate test (RBPT) and serum agglutination test (SAT). The result revealed brucellosis prevalence of 14.5% in sheep and 16.1% in goats, respectively. The prevalence varied from…

Abstract: Post harvest deterioration by microbes due to improper storage condition is considered to be the major cause of spoilage of most seeds like cashew nuts. Roasted cashew nuts were subjected to 4 different storage conditions with different relative humidity of 30, 70, 80 and 90%, respectively, for a period of 12 days. Each storage condition was examined for microbial growth, crispiness, pH changes, moisture content and other parameters. 8 fungal species identified as Aspergillus niger, Rhizopus sp., Penicillium sp., T…